Quebec · Municipality of Alma

How to run for Council in Alma

A plain-English guide to the 2029 cycle — eligibility, deadlines, paperwork, and key local contacts for councillor candidates in Alma, Quebec.

Election day: Sunday, November 4, 2029
Population (2021)
30,331
Council seats
8 seats
Term
4 years
Wards
—

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for councillor in Alma, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Alma, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Alma (or the spouse of one).
  • Not legally disqualified from running.
Common disqualifications include sitting judges, sitting MPs / Senators / MPPs (must resign before filing), municipal employees (must take an unpaid leave or resign), and people serving a sentence in a penal institution.

Step 2

What does the councillor do?

Councillors in Alma vote on by-laws, the annual budget, and local services like parks, transit, and zoning. They are the most direct point of contact between residents and city hall.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
Conseiller·ère de district84 yearsOne per district. Louis Leclerc (D2 Isle-Maligne / Albert-Naud) and Bianka Villeneuve (D6 Champagnat) were elected by acclamation in 2025.

Step 3

The nomination process

Filing happens at the municipal greffier (clerk), in person during regular office hours and on nomination day until 2:00 PM. You'll need to bring:

  • Nomination paper, signed in the presence of the clerk or a commissioner of oaths.
  • 5 to 200 supporting electors (varies by population and office) from eligible electors of Alma.Mayor: 5 / 10 / 50 / 100 / 200 across population brackets. Councillor: 5 / 10 / 25 / 25 / 25. Confirm with the greffier.
  • Government-issued photo ID showing your name and qualifying address.
  • Filing fee: None.

Where to file

Greffe / présidence d'élection, Hôtel de ville d'Alma, 140, rue Saint-Joseph Sud, Alma (QC) G8B 7A6.

Step 4

Key dates — 2029 cycle

DateEvent
Sep 21Nomination period opens
Oct 5, 8:30 p.m.Nomination period closes (last day to file)
November 4, 2029Election day
November 24, 2029New term of council begins
March 27, 2030Campaign financial statement due

Missing the financial-statement deadline can trigger automatic disqualification from running in the next cycle and forfeiture of your filing fee.

Step 5

Campaign finance

Alma runs under Quebec's Loi sur les élections et les référendums dans les municipalités. The headline numbers for the 2029 cycle:

Per-individual contribution
$100 per year
max from any one person to your campaign
Aggregate / additional rules
$200 in a general-election year if you support an authorized party or independent
across all candidates in the same municipality
Spending limit
Set by Élections Québec; published after nominations close
In municipalities ≥ 5,000 residents, candidates who get ≥ 15% of the vote (or are elected) are reimbursed up to 70% of allowed expenses.
Corporate and union donations are banned. Cash gifts of $25 or less generally don't need to be tracked individually; anything more must be by cheque, debit, credit, money order, or e-transfer that traces to the contributor.

Local

Specific to Alma

  • District names reflect Alma's mid-20th-century industrial parishes (Isle-Maligne, Saint-Cœur-de-Marie, Delisle were merged into Alma in 1976).
  • Largest city in MRC Lac-Saint-Jean-Est; downtown Alma is the regional commercial hub for the southeast Lac-Saint-Jean area.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Alma also choose:

  • Mairesse — At large. Sits on MRC Lac-Saint-Jean-Est council.

Sources

Official resources

This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Always confirm details with the municipal greffier (clerk) and the most recent provincial candidate guide before filing. Last reviewed 2026-05-01.

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